A very rare Chippendale carved and figured mahogany pie-crust tilt-top candlestand, New York, New York circa 1770

Israel Sack, Inc., New York

Parke-Bernet Galleries Inc., Important American Furniture: Property from the Estate of the Late Cornelius C. Moore, Newport, R.I., October 30, 1971, lot 133

A 1-inch chip to pie-crust edge; an 11-inch crack to top; one leg is broken at ankle; wear to carving on knees; one cleat detached from top; a circular wooden shim added to top and bottom of birdcage
In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective qualified opinion.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING CONDITION OF A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD "AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF SALE PRINTED IN THE CATALOGUE.

With its scalloped top, boldly turned pillar, acanthus-carved knees, and claw feet, this candlestand represents the most expensive version of its form available in colonial America. The cup and flared shaft of the pillar follows a classic pattern known on a large number of tables and stands with histories in New York families. The acanthus knee carving is also known in New York work, though rarely encountered.

A New York tea table at the Metropolitan Museum of Art with a history in the Verplanck family displays a very similar shaft (see Morrison Heckscher, American Furniture in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, 1985, no. 125, p. 196). Another example at the Metropolitan Museum of Art with the same pillar type and pinched claw feet was owned by the Egbert family of Flushing, New York (see Heckscher, no. 126, p. 197). Both of the latter features also appear on a tea table made for Robert Sanders (1705-1765), the mayor of Albany from 1750 to 1754, as well as on a firescreen at Winterthur with original needlework marked "New York ... 1966" (see Roderic H. Blackburn, Cherry Hill: The History and Collection of a Van Rensselaer Family, 1976, no. 38 and Charles Hummel, A Winterthur Guide to American Chippendale Furniture, New York,1976, fig. 20).

Similar acanthus knee carving appears on a New York tea table at the Metropolitan Museum of Art displaying the PVR brand signifying ownership by Philip Van Rensselaer (1749-1798), who married Maria Sanders, the daughter of the aforementioned mayor of Albany, in 1768 (see Heckscher, no. 127, p. 197). More than twenty pieces of New York furniture with the PVR brand have been identified. All appear to have been among the furnishings of Cherry Hill, the farm on the outskirts of Albany that Philip acquired around the time of his marriage and the site of a house he built in 1786.